Heather Rastovac

......................................... My craft and form of creative expression is mainly as a dancer. I perform classical and regional dances of the Iranian world (Iran, Tajikistan, Kurdistan, and Afghanistan) and Central Asia (Uzbekistan). I have been studying, performing, choreographing and teaching Iranian and Near Eastern dances since 1997. I currently perform as a soloist and as an artistic director of Delshodeh dance ensemble. Delshodeh, cofounded with Sonja Hinz, performs the dances of Central Asia, particularly the dances of Iran and Tajikistan. I participate in this ensemble as an artistic director, dancer, choreographer, researcher and lecturer. From 2001 to 2004, I was a member of Shourangeez Persian music and dance ensemble and participated in the Northwest Folklife Association’s Folklife-in-the-Schools program. In the past, I have also performed dances of the Arab world (North Africa, the Levant, the Gulf), as well as dances from Bosnia/Herzagovina. I am currently a student of ballet, modern, and Flamenco.................................................... ............................................................ ......................... ...........I have recently received my Bachelors Degree in Near Eastern Language and Civilization (focused on Persian language and literature) with Minors in Dance and Cultural Anthropology. I engage in a variety of studies of the Middle East - languages, religions, cultures, women's studies, music and singing, classical and folk dances, poetry, literature and politics. I've become disheartened about the increasingly negative portrayal of the Middle East in our mainstream media and much of the general American public. I am committed to contributing to cultural education concerning the Middle East through the incredible traditional and classical arts of the Middle East - performing, teaching, researching, writing. ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................I have spent nearly half of my life traveling. I'd seen almost every major city and state in this country by the time I was 18 years old. Outside of the U.S., I have been very lucky to spend time in Morocco, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Tunisia, Spain, Greece, Turkey, India, France, Italy, Mexico, Germany, UAE... These experiences have defined much of who I am. I've led an unconventional life - some of it by choice, some of it not. ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................. I believe that art belongs to everyone - not just the privileged or even the "talented." ............................................................ ............................................................ .............. ........................ "The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep, loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen." -Elizabeth Kibler-Ross